The invention relates to a piston-cylinder arrangement, particularly for a clutch actuation system in a motor vehicle, comprising a housing, which is arranged concentrically around a shaft, and an annular pressure chamber, inside which a piston is movably mounted, with a sealing ring support, on which a seal is arranged, that is connected to the piston.
Clutch actuation systems are used in motor vehicle, in order to engage and/or disengage the traction between a motor and a transmission. In hydraulic clutch slave cylinders, a seal is fastened on the piston with the help of a sealing ring support having a defined axial play or is arranged directly on the piston without any play. FIG. 1 shows a seal connection with a defined axial play. The clutch slave cylinder 1 comprises a housing 2, which is arranged rotationally symmetrical around a shaft 3. Here, the housing 2 forms an annular pressure chamber 4, in which a piston 5 is arranged in a movable fashion. The piston 5 carries a sealing ring support 6, on which a seal 7 is fastened. The sealing ring support 6 is either formed from steel or plastic. The plastic variant is commonly used to avoid any gap extrusion of the seal 7 between the housing 2 and the sealing ring support 6. The sealing ring support 6 is connected to the piston 5 with a defined axial play. This way the wear and tear of the seal, generated by the vibration, preferably of the clutch, is reduced in the unpressurized operating state.
In a variant without play, as shown in FIG. 2, the seal 7 directly abuts the piston 5. In order to avoid any gap extrusion, here two separate plastic rings 8 are used as sealing ring carriers. The connection of the seal 7 at the piston 3, free from any play, clearly defines the position of the seal and thus the operating state. However, in this arrangement increased wear and tear of the seal 7 occurs, because the vibrations directly attack the seal 7. Furthermore, a multi-layered arrangement is necessary in the form of the seal 7 and the sealing support in the form of the two plastic rings 8 in order to ensure a connection of the seal 7 at the piston 5 without any play, which increases the production costs for such a clutch slave cylinder 1. When the plastic rings 8 are embodied with connecting bridges the piston 5 is weakened and uneven transitions develop. Here, an oriented installation is required due to the bridges.